LEPIDOPTERA IN THE HAUTES-ALPES! ABRIES. 999 
such as it was, was done. It may be well to note the places where 
insects were observed abundantly. Almost as soon as one leaves the 
village, on the road towards the Italian frontier, one finds a mass of 
tangled vegetation covering the waste ground by the river side—willows, 
Hippophaes and barberry among the shrubs, thyme,  trefoils, 
dwarf epilobium, scabious and Centawrea among the flowering plants, © 
may be noted. This spot should be visited, for, here, not only do 
the regular insect inhabitants of this part of the valley dwell, but visitors 
from the high Alps—Colias palaeno, C. phicomone (many), Pieris 
callidice—are to be taken. Among the willows Huvanessa antiopa 
is already on the wing, and on the nettles by the roadside the deserted 
larval nests of Pyrameis atalanta are abundant, although a single 
imago only showed that the perfect insects had not yet fully emerged ; 
iiais urticae was the only other Vanessid, and this species was found as 
larvee, pup and imagines. Here and there one can get from the 
roadway to the rough slopes and gullies, and one finds insects on these 
also in great abundance. Papilio machaon was occasionally seen, 
usually worn and tailless; Parnassius apollo flew everywhere, even 
about the roads, and was frequently observed about the front of the 
hotel. Aporia crataegi was one of the commonest insects when we 
arrived, but the way in which it almost completely disappeared during 
our stay was most remarkable. A single Pieris callidice, as we have 
said, was unexpectedly taken not a quarter of a mile from the village ; 
Pieris rapae and P. napi ab. napaeae were abundant, but P. brassicae 
was scarce, and P. daplidice only observed some distance lower down 
the road than the hotel, although Colias edusa and C. hyale covered 
the ground where (. phicomone, in considerable abundance in both 
sexes, and a single ('. palaeno were taken. That C. phicomone naturally 
lives at this level in the neighbourhood of Abries is certain as the 
species was observed egg-laying on the waste flats. Leucophasia sinapts 
was not seen, although we suspect that it must occur; it was possibly 
over. (ronepterya rhamni males were particularly brightly coloured, 
no females were seen, so that the species was evidently not fully out. 
Melanargia yalathea, common down the valley, does not appear to reach 
so high as this. The Fritillaries were in great abundance. <Aryynnis 
lathonia everywhere, A. adippe abundant below the hotel, but 
beginning to go over, whilst Dryas paphia was quite scarce and not 
in good condition. Argynnis aylaia and A. niobe in thousands 
everywhere, in beautiful condition, varying much in size, the latter 
also presenting beautiful examples with the silvery spots of the under- 
side of the hindwings particularly brilliant. Near the hotel many of 
the A. niobe were no larger than Brenthis euphrosyne, whilst others were 
of large size and full colour, so that possibly the larve of the small 
ones had been badly placed for food. A. amathusia was not uncommon 
near the river. Melitaea didyma was in the very pink of condition, 
the males bright red, sparkling like ‘‘ coppers’ in the sun, whilst the 
females showed a splendid range of variation, many being almost 
black in the ground colour, the fulyous limited to small areas on the 
hindwings ; none appeared to have the brighter fulvous colour of the 
females found at Aix-les-Bains and other localities at a low altitude. 
(To be continued.) 
